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very high theory of the royal and imperial prerogative; and a



very exacting theory of the duty of the subject。 Little account



was taken by distant observers of the fundamental facts in the



case; namely; that Germany; being a nation with no natural



frontiers; with hostile military nations on all sides; and with



serious intestine tendencies to anarchy; must; if she is to live;



have the best possible military organization and a central power



strong to curb all the forces of the empire; and quick to hurl



them。 Moreover; these speeches; which seemed so absurd to the



average American; hardly astonished any one who had lived long in



Germany; and especially in Prussia。 The doctrines laid down by



the young monarch to the recruits were; after all; only what they



had heard a thousand times from pulpit and school desk; and are a



logical result of Prussian history and geography。 Something; too;



must be allowed to a young man gifted; energetic; suddenly



brought into so responsible a position; looking into and beyond



his empire; seeing hostile nations north; south; east; and west;



with elements of unreason fermenting within its own borders; and



feeling that the only reliance of his country is in the good



right arms of its people; in their power of striking heavily and



quickly; and in unquestioning obedience to authority。







In the history of American opinion at this time there was one



comical episode。 The strongholds of opinion among us friendly to



Germany have been; for the last sixty years; our universities and



colleges; in so many of which are professors and tutors who;



having studied in Germany; have brought back a certain love for



the German fatherland。 To them there came in those days a curious



tractate by a little…known German professorone of the most



curious satires in human history。 To all appearance it was simply



a biographical study of the young Roman emperor Caligula。 It



displayed the advantages he had derived from a brave and pious



imperial ancestry; and especially from his devout and gifted



father; it showed his natural gifts and acquired graces; his



versatility; his growing restlessness; his manifold ambitions;



his contempt of wise counsel; the dismissal of his most eminent



minister; his carelessness of thoughtful opinion; his meddling in



anything and everything; his displays in the theater and in the



temples of the gods; his growthuntil the world recognized him



simply as a beast of prey; a monster。 The whole narrative was so



managed that the young prince who had just come to the German



throne seemed the exact counterpart of the youthful Roman



monarchdown to the cruel stage of his career; THAT was left to



anticipation。 The parallels and resemblances between the two were



arranged with consummate skill; and whenever there was a passage



which seemed to present an exact chronicle of some well…known



saying or doing of the modern ruler there would follow an



asterisk with a reference to a passage in Tacitus or Suetonius or



Dion Cassius or other eminent authority exactly warranting the



statement。 This piece of historical jugglery ran speedily through



thirty editions; while from all parts of Germany came refutations



and counter…refutations by scores; all tending to increase its



notoriety。 Making a short tour through Germany at that period;



and stopping in a bookseller's shop at Munich to get a copy of



this treatise; I was shown a pile of pamphlets which it had



called out; at least a foot high。 Comically enough; its author



could not be held responsible for it; since the name of the young



Emperor William was never mentioned; all it claimed to give or



did give was the life of Caligula; and certainly there was no



crime in writing a condemnatory history of him or any other



imperial miscreant who died nearly two thousand years ago。 In the



American colleges and universities this tractate doubtless made



good friends of Germany uneasy; and it even shocked some



excellent men who knew much of Roman history and little of



mankind; but gradually common sense resumed its sway。 As men



began to think they began to realize that the modern German



Empire resembles in no particular that debased and corrupt mass



with which the imperial Roman wretches had to do; and that the



new German sovereign; in all his characteristics and tendencies



is radically a different being from any one of the crazy beasts



of prey who held the imperial power during the decline of Rome。







Sundry epigrams had also come over to us; among others; the



characterization of the three German Emperors: the first William



as 〃Der greise Kaiser;〃 the Emperor Frederick as 〃Der weise



Kaiser;〃 and the second William as 〃Der Reise Kaiser〃; and there



were unpleasant murmurs regarding sundry trials for petty



treason。 But at the same time there was evident; in the midst of



American jokes at the young Emperor's expense; a growing feeling



that there was something in him; that; at any rate; he was not a



fat…witted; Jesuit…ridden; mistress…led monarch of the old



Bourbon or Hapsburg sort; that he had 〃go〃 in himsome fine



impulses; evidently; and here and there a quotation from a speech



showed insight into the conditions of the present world and



aspiration for its betterment。







In another chapter I have given a general sketch of the



conversation at my first presentation to him as ambassador; it



strengthened in my mind the impression already formed;that he



was not a monarch of the old pattern。 The talk was not



conventional; he was evidently fond of discoursing upon



architecture; sculpture; and music; but not less gifted in



discussing current political questions; and in various



conversations afterward this fact was observable。 Conventional



talk was reduced to a minimum; the slightest hint was enough to



start a line of remark worth listening to。







Opportunities for conversation were many。 Besides the usual



〃functions〃 of various sorts; there were interviews by special



appointment; and in these the young monarch was neither backward



in presenting his ideas nor slow in developing them。 The range of



subjects which interested him seemed unlimited; but there were



some which he evidently preferred: of these were all things



relating to ships and shipping; and one of the first subjects



which came up in conversations between us was the books of



Captain Mahan; which he discussed very intelligently; awarding



great praise to their author; and saying that he required all his



naval officers to read them。







Another subject in order was art in all its developments。 During



the first years of my stay he was erecting the thirty…two



historical groups on the Avenue of Victory in the Thiergarten;



near my house。 My walks took me frequently by them; and they



interested me; not merely by their execution; but by their



historical purpose; commemorating as they do the services of his



predecessors; and of the strongest men who made their reigns



significant during nearly a thousand years。 He was always ready



to discuss these works at length; whether from the artistic;



historical; or educational point of view。 Not only to me; but to



my wife he insisted on their value as a means of arousing



intelligent patriotism in children and youth。 He dwelt with pride



on the large number of gifted sculptors in his realm; and his



comments on their work were worth listening to。 He himself has



artistic gifts which in his earlier days were shown by at least



one specimen of his work as a painter in the Berlin Annual



Exhibition; and in the window of a silversmith's shop on the



Linden I once saw a prize cup for a yacht contest showing much



skill in invention and beauty in form; while near it hung the



pencil drawing for it in his own hand。







His knowledge of music and love for it have been referred to



elsewhere in these chapters。 Noteworthy was it that his feeling



was not at all for music of a thin; showy sort; he seemed to be



touched by none of the prevailing fashions; but to cherish a



profound love for the really great things in music。 This was



often shown; as; for example; at the concert at Potsdam to which



he invited President and Mrs。 Harrison; and in his comments upon



the pieces then executed。 But the most striking evidence of it



was the music in the Royal Chapel。 It has been given me to hear



more than once the best music of the Sistine Pauline; and Lateran



choirs at Rome; of the three great choirs at St。 Petersburg; of



the chorus at Bayreuth; and of other well…known assemblages under



high musical direction; but the cathedral choir at Berlin; in its



best efforts; surpassed any of these; and the music; both



instrumental and choral; which reverberates under the dome of the



imperial chapel at the great anniversaries there celebrated is



nowhere excelled。 For operatic music of the usual sort he seemed



to care little。 If a gala opera was to be given; the chances were



that he would order the performance of some piece of more



historical than musical interest。 Hence; doubtless; it was that



during my whole stay the opera at Dresden surpassed decidedly



that at Berlin; while in the higher realms of music Berlin



remained unequaled。







Dramatic art is another field in which he takes an enlightened



interest: he has great reason for doing so; both as a statesman



and as a man。







As a result of observation a
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